Baby bottles are used for feeding liquids such as milk or infant formula to babies. Powdered infant formulas must be measured and mixed with water prior to feeding via a baby bottle. Several problems or difficulties accompany the use of powdered formulas. It is difficult to pack and carry the powdered formula, water, and bottles when feeding away from home and the feeding schedules of infants often require parents to feed while away from home. Measuring and mixing formula is time consuming and forces infants to wait for a feeding. This is particularly problematic at night. Powdered formulas can be premixed, but the resulting liquid formula must be refrigerated which is difficult while traveling and adds the problem of warming the formula to feeding temperature.
Several patents exist for containers which store two materials separately and permit intra-container mixing prior to use. These designs all require that the package be loaded at the time of manufacture and the containers are not reusable. The two closest examples of such a container intended for use in feeding babies are a Container Such as a Nursing Container, Having Formed Enclosure Chamber, U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,080, and a Two Compartment Bag with Incorporated Nipple. Another example of a similar concept is a Nursing Bottle Accessory Having Means for the Introduction of a Solid or Liquid, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,895. In the latter example, the second ingredient is not stored together with the first as a single unit. Moreover, the second ingredient is not pre-measured for controlled dosage, and the second ingredient must be prepared and introduced separately at the time of feeding.